The Mean Reds
by LITERALLYLEN
Summary: Lucas is kind of taken aback to the sudden stripping of the buoyancy that had seemingly been clung to her very form, the space surrounding them going taught, and the words are tinged with something more. Something Lucas can't place. -OR- College Au


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The dorms are abnormally quiet, especially for a Friday night. Usually their'd be a gaggle of girls giggling down the hall and towards frat row three streets down, or their'd be some idiotically drunken dude bellowing some early 2000s grunge song to the wrong door. Lucas not so secretly hates all of it, and is thankful that seemingly everyone has gone directly from the match against the Jayhawks, to one of the countless after parties in celebration for their win.

Lucas is definitely proud of the team, still knows that basketball is his greatest of passions— even if he can't play in a professional level since his diagnosis. The sport still courses through his veins and enraptures his attention. But still, it's nice that he doesn't have to deal with nursing some awful hangover the next morning after a way to rowdy night. For tonight at the very least, he much prefers the gentle lighting of his dorm, that he shares with his brother— star athlete Nathan Scott— with a warm cup of coffee, and preparing to spend the night editing the first half of his novel.

Though Lucas's plans for a low key night are promptly cut off once someone starts pounding against his door.

The blonde curses under his breath before he forces himself to answer.

"I swear to God bro, if you're some wasted ass imma gonna fucking punch you!"

No responce.

With a put upon sigh, Lucas finally swings open the door, stunned when he catches sight of the figure on the other side.

"Now that's no way to greet a guest?" She chastises with the most enticing of rasps, and quirk of the brow— her deep eyes emanating vitality and the curve of her plump lips promising something this edge of dangerous.

Lucas is besotted, and has completely lost the words. (So much for the whole wannabe author shtick.)

"OH, ah. My bad, I just thought… Um actually I don't really know what I thought." Lucas scratches the back of his head, abashed, and she let's out the sweetest of titters.

"'s cool broody, I get it. The folks that come around these parts are something else." She shoots him another megawatt smile that'd probably rival the sun.

God she's beautiful.

"Just looking for Nate? This is his room right?"

"Oh, ah yeah. I'm Lucas," he sticks out an excitable hand for her to shake, and then promptly realizes how awkward that looks and tries to pull it off as some sort of _Welcome in_ gesture. She just laughs at his antics.

"Ah, so you must the ever infamous other Scott that I've heard so much about." She nods while strutting into the room, eyes scanning the exterior, and Lucas gets the unnerving sensation that he's being praised by her, and really hopes he passes.

"Hah, that's me. And you're?"

"Brooke Penelope Davis."

Lucas is only partially blown away by her dimples— okay, so completely blown away. Shot up.

"I've never met you before though?"

She shoos his question off with a flippant wave of the hand. "The cheerleaders usually practice on opposite days from the basketball team, else they'll get distracted. You're a freshman right?"

"Yeah, yeah I am. How bout you?"

"Sam here broody," she smirks with feeling, and Lucas is seriously worried that he's gonna get hypnotized if he stares at her for too long.

"Oh, ah so you're a cheerleader then?" She nods picking up a book from his shelf, and flipping through the pages. "Why aren't you out celebrating with the team?"

Brooke rolls her eyes heavenwards, obvious exasperation etched into her scrunched up features.

"Would yo believe me if I told you I'm just sick of the same old, same old?"

Lucas nods, quick and emphatic. He knows exactly what she means, knows how much of an outsider he had felt in high school. Invited to all these different parties, and praised for being half of the legendary Scott Duo, all while hating how brain dead most everyone acted. And how no one even bothered to crack open a book, let alone begin writing one like him.

"Hope you don't mind?" She asks with an air of blitheness, but Lucas can still hear the hope underneath. "Nate said I could stay here whenever Rachel— oh um, my roommate— Whenever she has her boyfriend Owen over."

Lucas nods sympathetically.

"Loud?"

"Let's just say, there's only one thing Rachel Gatina is more enthusiastic about than the Blue Devils."

They share a commiserating chuckle.

"So let me guess," she saunters up next to him. "That's your bed?"

He follows a long, slender finger pointing to the bed furthest form the door.

"How'd you know?" He asks with a hike to the brows.

"You mean besides the book shelf" She comments dryly, coaxing out a chuckle from Lucas at the not so subtle ribbing at Nate's less than bookish inclinations.

"it's obvi, you've got a million records over there!" She collapses onto the duvet, long legs stretched out leisurely, and her head cradled on her palm. "Nate totally told me that you're like totally the tortured artist type."

"Is that right?" He crooks a grin at her, sitting on the opposite end.

"No worries gorgeous, my bestie is totally from the same mold. Indi music and all."

"You know Brooke," Lucas leans closer, inclining his head so they're only mere inches apart. "I've never really been much for fitting into someone else's mold."

She let's out an amused breath, and Lucas can feel it skirting across his skin.

"Oh broody," Brooke croons, finger tips lightly grazing the length of his jaw. "No one wants to be subjected into a title. Do you think anyone actually wants to be branded with a couple words which entail all the possibilities in their minuscule lives."

Lucas is kind of taken aback to the sudden stripping of the buoyancy that had seemingly been clung to her very form, the space surrounding them going taught, and the words are tinged with something more. Something Lucas can't place.

"Without title or molds or any of that shit, how are people s'pose to know whether to kiss ass or be condescending?"

The hush swallows them, eyes boring into one another, and tendrils of their breaths intermingling. Lucas thinks he's utterly spellbound and wonders if she feels even an ounce of the way he does.

He thinks he's got his answer when the quiet is shattered by a sudden, disarmingly beautiful grin of hers as she falls back against the sheets.

"You mind?" she asks with the kink of the brow, and shaking of the candy bar that was resting on his bedside table.

"Yeah, no, go for it."

"Cool, So tell me Lucas," Brooke leers with a gleam twinkling in her hazel orbs. "why is someone as cute as yourself sitting alone in his dorm instead of celebrating with his brother and his team?"

"Maybe 's the same reason as yours? Maybe I'm just tired of all the fake ness and drama of that kind of scene. At least for a night."

Brooke hums her approval.

"Doth think broody has had some problems in the past?"

Lucas averts his gaze, nervous and really not wanting to speak about his history. Not wanting to put a darkened tinge on this surprisingly wonderful evening.

"Don't fright broody, I bet it's still not as bad as catching you're slum bag boyfriend plastered onto some orange skinned bimbo," she shoots with a dazzling grin, one prideful of obviously having won their little sparring match.

Lucas can practically feel the joy seeping out of his expression.

"Brooke, you didn't deserve that. I'm-"

""Don't," she commands with the raising of her hand. "Trust me, Julian was dead wait. He was to busy trying to get ahead, that he never lived in the moment…Can you imagine how awful it felt being a continuous afterthought?"

"No…" The blonde admits. "No, I can't."

Well, let's hope you never do, or else I'm afraid that broody expression will be permanently etched into that handsome face of yours." Brooke speaks in a dream artful drawl, munching on another bite of the candy bar.

Lucas hates how vulnerable she looks, almost like she's uncomfortable with how much she's bared about her past. He refuses to permit her to feel anything similar to that again.

"I bet i've got you beat on batshit crazy family drama."

Brooke glances back up at him, matching the competitive gleam in his eyes, pretty smile restored onto her face.

But before either of them could let out another word, the door swings open.

"Brooke? 'S that you?" Nate, buzzed and start eyed, stumbles into the dorm.

"Hey all star," she crows, incandescence fully revived.

"Rachel and Owen back at it?"

"but of course," she sniffs, sitting back up completely. "How's the party?"

"Okay I guess, couldn't get hammered though. Coach is totally riding our asses still and wants us at practice like by eight in the morning." He jumps onto his bed, snuggling into the pillow like a puppy. "Lucas Hales'll be there if you wanna come?"

"Sounds good man."

"Cool," Nathan smiles, dopey and exhausted.

It's only a couple minutes that pass before they hear Nathan's snoring.

"he's totally knocked out," Brooke smiles down at him familiarly, and Lucas finds himself questioning again how they've become as close as siblings in the few months that they've actually resided on campus. And Lucas has only come across her now.

He thinks his only regret is not knowing her sooner.

"I best get going," Brooke intones mournfully. "It's been hours, and Rachel better be done." She stretches her arms over her head, and pounces off the bed.

"Oh yeah, right," Lucas scrambles to open the door for her. She just smiles up at his antics.

"I'll see you around broody," she goes on her toes, pecks his cheek quick and sweet. But it still feels like his heart is pounding against his chest, and can feel his cheeks infuse a blazing red.

Lucas is kind of befuddled and smitten, but he thinks he tries his best to wave goodbye before he retreats to his own bed, determined to see her again and not to make tonight— as magical as it was— an anomaly.

 **.-**

 **Author's Note: Wow hey gorgeous ppl, it's been a hot minute. This is just a drabble I posted before but wanted to fix up and repost lol. I know there's a whole lot I have to explain for, and I promise if you message me I will. put basically TLDR: a lot of things came at once and other interests kind of consumed my attention.**

 **Again feel free to message me or leave one below if you wanna chat.**

 **But most of all, pretty pretty pretty pleaseeeeee let me know what you thought! I feel like my writing style has changed, and I'd be so entirely grateful you let me know your thoughts!**

 **With love and kisses**

 **~B**


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